Aryeh, which can also be spelled Arye or Arieh, is a Biblical name sometimes heard in modern Israel. In the US, this is the most popular spelling by far, given to 100 boys last year. But the girls' form Ariyah is much more popular than that, given to nearly 500 baby girls.

An alternative spelling to the name Lavi, which can be used as a short form of the Finnish Olavi, itself a variation of Olaf, or as a stand-alone Hebrew name, meaning "lion". The traditional Lavi spelling is a Top ranking choice in Israel, while in the US, it is rarely used and would therefore make an interesting alternative to the popular Levi.

Confident Middle Eastern choice. Children will relate to the Rafiki form via the wise guru in Disney's "The Lion King."

Lovely, international, tea-scented possibility undiscovered by baby names.

Lovely African name that you may recognize from The Lion King.

This variation of the surname Loeb works even better than the original as a first name, though any child named Loew will inevitably have to endure a lifetime's worth of "high and...." jokes. Other leonine options: Leopold or Lionel.

While it may look like a variation of popular Leo, Llio is in fact a Welsh name, derived from Gwenllian, the medieval name of a legendary princess who is a national heroine in Wales. Given to a small handful of girls most years in Wales — three in a recent count — the double L sound is hard to translate into English because it is specifically Welsh.

Tau, rhyming with cow, is a simple straightforward name with roots in two languages and cultures, the Kaurna language spoken by indigenous Australian people or the African Tswana language, a Bantu language spoken by five million people.

The name Leoluca is a combination of the Italian names Leone, meaning "lion", and Luca, meaning "man from Lucania". This was the name of a 9th century Sicilian saint.

This spelling variation of trending unisex Ari — both diminutives of Hebrew Ariel — means "lion of God".

Lionel is yet another traditional boy's name entering the girls' column--at least once-- via prizewinning novelist Lionel (born Margaret Ann) Shriver.

A grand, bright, and powerful feeling name, Sundiata was notably borne by Sundiata Keita, the 13th century founder and prince of the Mali Empire in Western Africa. He is remembered and celebrated in the Epic of Sundiata which is still taught today.

When considering the playground years, might be too close to gory.

In the US this is likely to conjure zebras, lions and elephants on the Serengeti, but its original meaning "journey" broadens its wearability. Safari is a name common in Africa for babies born while their parents were on a journey.

Singer Ruslana Stepanivna Lyzhychko, who goes by her first name, won the Eurovision contest in 2004 and remains a popular artist in Ukraine.

Traditional African name made cartoonish by the Disney character in The Lion King. In Shona it means "strength".

The ancient Leontios, the name of several early saints and a Byzantine empire, may rise again with the pride of lion names so fashionable in Europe, from Leo to Leon to Leonie. The Latinized version is Leontius.

Leonato is one of the main characters in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, the noble governor of Messina on whose property most of the play takes place. His daughter Hero and his niece Beatrice are the two main female romantic leads in the play. His character is ambiguous; he starts out friendly and amiable, but he reacts very harshly to rumors that his daughter has lost her "honor" before marriage.

A name of Persian, Turkish, Kazakh, and Uzbek origin, Alisher can be considered a compound name, blending the popular Arabic name Ali with the Persian shir meaning "sublime lion", or a purely Persian choice meaning "brave prince".

This is the original form of the ancient name also spelled Llewelyn. In ancient Wales, it was borne by two princes who for a time united their countrymen in North Wales and led opposition to the power of the Norman barons in the south. Llywelyn ap Iorwerth was the greatest of the Welsh rulers of the Middle Ages. This is a popular patriotic name, with nicknames Llelo and Llew, which is also Welsh for 'lion.'